R.D. Abbott Company, Inc., a full-service rubber industry supplier, has signed a new distribution agreement with an affiliate of Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers, to distribute Cariflex isoprene rubbers to manufacturers and fabricators in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

“We at R.D. Abbott are excited about this new supplier relationship with Kraton. This strategic action directly aligns with our rubber-centric market focus and technical expertise,” said Keith Thomas, President of R.D. Abbott. “The addition of Cariflex isoprene rubbers to our product mix perfectly complements our healthcare portfolio and enhances our broad line of rubber polymers, chemicals, curatives, and high performance additives necessary for almost any compounding requirement.”

Philippe Henderson, Kraton’s Global Market Development Director for Cariflex isoprene rubbers continued: “Kraton established state of the art polyisoprene production capacity at its Belpre, Ohio, plant in 2011, allowing Kraton to produce its highly-engineered Cariflex products. We anticipate that R.D. Abbott’s focus on rubbers, true technical service capabilities, and quality of service, will increase value for our customers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We are very pleased to embark in this business opportunity with R.D. Abbott.”

Cariflex isoprene rubbers are high molecular weight, anionically polymerized polyisoprene, with exceptional features like high purity, excellent clarity, good flow, and low gel content. Similar to other synthetic polyisoprene materials, Cariflex isoprene rubbers have no nitrosamines or natural rubber proteins. They can also be processed as natural rubber and share many of its key qualities like good mechanical properties and hysteresis.

The versatility of Cariflex isoprene rubber polymers provide opportunities for various applications, including food and pharmaceutical packaging, seals, and stoppers; baby bottle teats; transparent shoe soles and rubber parts; protective gloves; and other technical molded goods.

Specifically, this distribution agreement includes Cariflex IR0307 KU and IR0310 KU Polymers.